NUR-SULTAN, 31 March – The Heads of Turkic Speaking States will gather virtually Today, 31 March for an informal summit of the Turkic Council.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan announced in official notes, says that:” The Turkic Council, formally the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States, was founded Oct. 3, 2009, in Nakhchivan at the initiative of Kazakhstan’s First President Nursultan Nazarbayev. Its members are Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and Uzbekistan, and Hungary as an observer state.
The summit was initially supposed to take place in Turkistan but due to the worsening of the epidemiological situation with Covid-19, it will now be held online.
The theme of the upcoming summit will be “Turkistan – Spiritual Capital of the Turkic World.”
The announcement confirms that, the heads of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, Uzbekistan and the Prime Minister of Hungary and Kazakhstan’s First President Nursultan Nazarbayev are expected to attend the summit, where they will discuss the cooperation among the Turkic Speaking States, exchange views on regional and international issues affecting the interests of the Turkic world.
The International Turkic Academy (hereinafter referred to as the Academy), established on May 25, 2010 at the initiative of President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, is an internationally recognized scientific center of Turkology headquartered in Nur-Sultan.
The Agreement on the Establishment of the Academy was signed on August 23, 2012 in Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) during the 2nd Summit of the Turkic Council and entered into force on August 27, 2014.
On September 3, 2018, by the decision of the Heads of the Turkic Council member states, the term of office of the President of the Turkic Academy Mr. Kydyrali was extended for another four years.
In the same time, there is the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic-Speaking Countries (TurkPA) was established on November 21, 2008 on the initiative of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Leader of the Nation Nursultan Nazarbayev.
TurkPA member countries – Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey. The TurkPA observers are the Inter-parliamentary Assembly of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC PA), The Hungarian Parliament, and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC РА).
TurkPA is an observer in the following international organizations: Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the Parliamentary Union of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (PUIC), Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), and the BSEC РА
Also, there is the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation (hereinafter – the Foundation) was established on August 23, 2012 at the initiative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
The Foundation’s members are Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey. The official languages are the official languages of its member countries and English.
The Foundation’s Secretariat is located in Baku (Azerbaijan).
On September 11, 2015, during the 5th CCTS Summit in Astana, the heads of state signed a decision on the appointment of the First Secretary to the National Commission of the Republic of Azerbaijan for UNESCO, Gunay Afandiyeva, to the post of President of the Foundation for a four-year term.
The main objectives of the Foundation are to protect, study and promote the Turkic culture and heritage by supporting and financing various activities, projects and programs.
The ministry announcement mentioned more details about the council, about the Practical activities of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States
- The Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic-Speaking States has been operating within the CCTS since 2008. Its activities are aimed at developing inter-parliamentary cooperation.
- On May 25, 2010, the International Turkic Academy was established, which is an internationally recognized scientific Turkic centre with headquarters in Nur-Sultan (Kazakhstan). The tasks of the Academy include comprehensive study of the cultural, historical and scientific and intellectual heritage of the Turkic peoples, as well as its popularisation in the world.
- In 2011, the Business Council of the Turkic Council was created, with five meetings held so far. Its goal is to promote the development of small and medium-sized businesses, and improve the investment climate between the member states of the CCTS.
- On August 23, 2012, the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation was established with headquarters in Baku (Azerbaijan). The main tasks of the Foundation are the protection, study and promotion of Turkic culture and heritage.
Also, the announcement said that, Kazakhstan’s participation in the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States
- Kazakhstan became a member of the CCTS on October 3, 2009. The country chaired the CCTS from 2015 to 2018.
- In order to strengthen economic cooperation, five working groups have been created within the CCTS. Its activities are aimed at improving the investment climate, diversifying the economy, developing transport, supporting entrepreneurship and developing tourism. Relevant state bodies of Kazakhstan are members of the working groups.
- During the 7th CCTS summit, which took place on October 15, 2019 in Baku (Azerbaijan), the First President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, proposed to develop a programme document “Turkic vision – 2040” and rename the CCTS to the Organisation of Turkic States.
- Following the results of the 7th CCTS Summit, the Concept for Reforming Turkic Cooperation Organisations was approved. Furthermore, a special decision was made by the Heads of State to establish a Coordinating Committee of Turkic-speaking organisations, chaired by the Secretary General of the CCTS, whose meetings will be convened on a regular basis.
